I’m so done with lugging around loads of unnecessary things in my bag so I’ve had a huge clear out. Apart from the obvious essentials such as my purse and phone I’ve narrowed it down to these six items.

Lip Balm

My Lips have been extremely chapped lately and nothing seems to soothe them other than good old Carmex! A definite must have.

RRP: £2.59

Hand Cream

I always carry around a hand cream as my hands get so dry this time of year, I’m currently using The Body Shop’s mango one which smells good enough to eat.

RRP: £5

Hand Sanitiser

When travelling on public transport hand sanitiser is a life saver. This Merci Handy cherry one is my favourite.

RRP: £2.90

Headphones

I’d be lost without my headphones and this Skullcandy pair come with a little faux leather pouch meaning they don’t get tangled up in your handbag.

RRP: £12.99

Tangle Teezer

I take my tangle teezer everywhere to keep my hair in check.

RRP: £12.49

Perfume

A roll on perfume is perfect for touch ups throughout the day and this Zara one in the scent ‘cashmere rose’ smells divine.

I recently had a horrible reaction to a Fake Bake false tan which left my arms, neck and legs covered in scaly, dry skin. I had just about tried everything from exfoliating to sudocrem in an attempt to get rid of it but nothing seemed to make a difference, until a friend recommended the cica repair balm from French pharmacy brand Mixa.

I applied it twice a day for a week, by the second day all of the redness was gone from the rash and by the seventh my skin was completely back to normal. I have been using it regularly since on any dry areas such as my hands, elbows and knees and am so impressed with the difference it makes.

The balm is definitely a holy grail for people sensitive skin and is an absolute bargain too at £5.99 from Superdrug.

A few weeks ago I had an allergic reaction to a product I was using and was left with a huge rash over my neck and cheek. I tried every moisturizer i own and changed everything from my shampoo to washing powder but it still wouldn’t budge.

After a week i went to Boots and asked a member of staff if they knew a cream that would help to heal it, and was told to use La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 Soothing Repairing Balm. The cream cost around £15 which i thought was a little steep but at this point i was willing to try anything.

After one use the rash shrunk and looked less inflamed and a few days later it was completely gone; this cream also works wonders on any dry areas of skin such as elbows and knees.

I honestly couldn’t recommend it enough, if your looking for a great moisturizer or can’t get a dry patch or rash to budge then give it a go, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

I’m going to share with you 5 of my absolute essential skin and hair care items for these hot summer months.

Lipbalm

My lips always get extremely dry and cracked during the summer, so I always make sure that I use a good quality lip balm with SPF in it to not only stop them getting chapped, but to protect them from the sun too.

One of my favourites at the moment is Carmex cherry lip balm as it lasts for ages on my lips, smells amazing and has SPF 15.

Sunscreen

It’s also extremely important to protect your skin from the sun, so I use Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is absolutely brilliant. It can be used as a hair mask twice a week to help promote healthy growth and leaves your hair feeling so soft! All you do is apply it from root to tip, then leave it for at least half an hour and wash it out. It’s also a brilliant moisturiser to use on those drier areas such as your elbows and knees.

Light Moisturiser

Having oily skin in the summertime is awful, it just seems to look ten times worse. However, changing my moisturiser during the summer to Neutrogena’s visibly clear oil free moisturiser helps to stop my skin getting as shiny throughout the day. The extremely light formula also helps to prevent breakouts.

BB cream

BB cream is a great alternative to foundation during the summer as it covers up any imperfections whilst still being extremely lightweight and natural looking. I use Garnier’s BB cream, you can find a review here.

I’ve relied on Carmex for many years to keep my lips smooth and crack free. The moisture plus lip balm is absolutely amazing!
It retails for around £4.50 and keeps your lips soft and protected (spf 15) as well as giving it a slight tint and glossy finish, it also smells absolutely amazing. There are a few colours available so there should be one to suit you. Perfect for protecting your lips in these cold winter months.

The Body shop’s lip butters are brilliant, they come in a variety of flavours and smell divine! They melt into your lips, instantly hydrating themand leaving them feeling amazing! Coconut is my absolute favourite, but of course its not for everyone.

Chapstick is also amazing. It is easy to apply, has SPF protection and helps to heal dry and cracked lips.